Jackson-based charter school receives approval to expand into high school

• Ambition Preparatory Charter School plans to offer ninth grade starting in 2027 and add one grade level each year thereafter.

On Monday, the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board (MCSAB) approved a request for Jackson-based Ambition Preparatory Charter School to expand its grades into high school.

According to the application report, the expansion will take place in phases, with construction of nine new classrooms at the current campus to begin in January 2026 and opening and enrollment of the founding 9th grade class expected in July 2027. Each year thereafter one grade level will be added.

“The school’s enrollment projections reach capacity (12th grade) in [school year] 2030-2031,” the report states. 

Prior to approval of the expansion, Ambition Preparatory Charter School Founder and Executive Director Dr. Archie Scott told the Authorizer Board several of his students, starting in kindergarten, ask when high school grades will be offered at their school. 

“So, now they will be able to, hopefully, they will be up at (our school) all the way through to college,” Scott said.

The application for expansion is rigorous, requiring information such as the school’s finances, contingency plans, enrollment numbers, curriculum, rejection numbers and the current space within the facility, Dr. Lisa Karmacharya, Executive Director for the MCSAB, explained.

“It’s going to require the school seeking this expansion to really provide everything that you would, for the most part, in an application for a new school,” Karmacharya added of the newly adopted application process.

Addition of the high school is anticipated to require 48 additional positions and is expected to cost $16.1 million. 

Empower Mississippi CEO and Founder Grant Callen said his organization submitted a letter of support for the expansion.

“They’re the best charter school operator in the state,” Callen said. “If you look at the academic performance data, Ambition Prep is the highest performing charter school in the state.”

This is the second charter school in the state to receive approval to add high school grades, with Clarksdale Collegiate Prep receiving that approval in 2023. Clarksdale Collegiate Prep is expecting to start offering ninth grade this fall.

“Clarksdale Collegiate will have the first charter high school in the state and this approval for Ambition will be the first charter high school in Jackson,” Callen noted.

The addition of high school grades at charter schools means more choices in where students can receive an education, which is good for Mississippi’s families, Callen said. Evidence points to an increase in choice leads to improved performance at both charter and traditional public schools. 

“So, that’s what we want, we want kids in charter schools to improve, and we want kids in traditional public schools to grow and have a great educational experience,” Callen added.

This expansion comes a year after the MCSAB approved the establishment of two more charter schools in the state – Archway Charter School, which is expected to provide hybrid learning opportunities to students in grades 7 to 12, and Mississippi Global Academy which is preparing to provide traditional education experiences to students in grades 4 to 12. Archway is anticipated to open in August 2026, while Mississippi Global Academy is expected to open this fall.